Art History and Visual Culture with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

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Art History and Visual Culture with Foundation Year BA Hons

Course overview

Your Arts and Humanities Foundation Year will help prepare you for the BA Art History and Visual Culture. Art is everywhere, shaping how we see and understand the world. From Renaissance paintings to viral videos, images have the power to influence culture, politics and society. Learn how art and visual culture have shaped societies past and present, and gain the tools you need to decode the images that define our world.

First, through a range of engaging modules spanning the arts and humanities, you will undertake a preparatory Foundation Year. Our curriculum is carefully designed, with each of the six modules giving you the best start to your progression degree. You will develop key skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and digital capability. You'll be able to tailor your assessment topics to explore aspects of your progression degree with elements of interdisciplinarity and real-world applicability.

Your dedicated Foundation Year tutors will support you with building these skills, and the confidence for undergraduate study.

Course highlights

Automatic progression to your degree upon successful completion of the foundation year – there’s no need to reapply.
Get support from dedicated foundation year tutors.
You can change your mind – this Foundation Year allows progression to a wide range of Arts and Humanities degrees.

Proven results

We’re 5th in the UK for history of art, architecture and design (Daily Mail University Guide 2026).
We’re 1st for graduates entering highly-skilled jobs (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2025).

How you will learn

Teaching methods

Lectures
Seminars
Tutorials
Workshops

How you will be assessed

Your six foundation year modules are assessed using a wide variety of methods.

Each module has two assessment points. For example, our Critical Thinking and Reflective Learning module is assessed by an essay (50% of the module mark) and a reflective learning portfolio (50% of the module mark). These modules will prepare you for undergraduate assessment and allow you to develop a broad range of skills.

Assessment methods

Essay
Poster
Presentation
Portfolio (written/digital)
Creative piece
Workbook

Contact time and study hours

Teaching

During your foundation year you’ll have at least 12 hours of timetabled contact a week through lectures, seminars and workshops. Your tutors will also be available outside these times to discuss issues and develop your understanding.

One-to-one tutorials

You will have four general progress tutorials as well as individual module-focused tutorials during your foundation year.

For learning, assessment, contact time and study information after your Foundation Year, see the course page for your progression option.

Modules

6 modules

Important Thinkers Through History

In every field of the arts and humanities there are significant people who have contributed to the intellectual and cultural development of humanity. In this module you’ll consider a selection of these ‘important thinkers’, drawn from different disciplines across the Faculty of Arts, across a broad sweep of history and representing a variety of cultural and geographical contexts.

Critical Thinking and Reflective Learning

This module will introduce you to key skills and practices for university work and help you make the transition from school, college or work to undergraduate study. Critical thinking and reflective learning are skills that are essential for thriving on your chosen degree course but they’re also important for developing thoughtful, responsible citizens who contribute effectively to society.

Language and Culture

Language and culture are both fundamental aspects of any arts and humanities degree. In this module you’ll develop an analytical and critical approach to English as well as an understanding of the potential challenges and benefits involved in studying other languages and cultures.

Media, Communication and Society

This module will analyse the relationship between media, communication and society. The module will allow you to explore how communication occurs and engage with different kinds of reading and texts. You will also assess the positive and negative impacts of communication through a wide range of media.

Narrative and Creativity

This module will introduce you to academic theories about narrative and creativity. You’ll also encounter various forms of narrative and ‘storytelling’ to help you consider the role of narrative and creativity in different contexts. This will include exploring the role of creativity and story in society generally, reflecting on your own ‘stories’, and developing your own creativity in a variety of ways.

The Project

Extended projects or dissertations are a key feature of many university courses, especially in the final year. This module will help you develop the skills required to design, research and produce a major piece of work for assessment, using media (written and/or other) appropriate to your chosen topic.

Quick glance

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements listed apply to 2027 entry. This course is open to home applicants only.

A levels

BCC

24 points overall

A level and GCSE requirements

GCSEs

English grade 4 (C)

IB requirements

24 points overall or 544 in 3 Higher Level Certificates.

Personal circumstances for Foundation degrees

The Faculty of Arts degrees with a foundation year are part of our contextual admissions policy, reflecting a lower offer, with eligibility assessed on personal circumstances. To qualify for our Foundation Year contextual offer:

you must have the required grades
you must have Home/UK fee status
your current or most recent school must be in the UK and cannot be an independent school
you must meet at least one of the personal background criteria

Personal background criteria

You live in an area where people are less likely to go to university – check your postcode
You were in receipt of free school meals (FSM) on any census day in the six years before the census day of your final KS4 year (that is, the year you were aged 15-16 years old)
You are the first generation in your family to enter higher education
You will be over 21 years old when you begin your course
You have spent more than three months in local authority care (for this criterion you do not need to have attended a state school)
You have refugee status from the Home Office
You need to study in the East Midlands (for example, for family, cultural or financial reasons)
You provide long term care of a sick or disabled family member

Where relevant you should include reference to 6, 7 and 8 in your personal statement, or provide this information via when you submit your UCAS application.

Alternative qualifications

We recognise that applicants have a wealth of different experiences and follow a variety of pathways into higher education.

Consequently we treat all applicants with alternative qualifications on an individual basis, and we gladly accept students with a whole range of less conventional qualifications.

We have listed our specific requirements for BTEC National and Access to HE qualifications below, but this is not an exhaustive list. The accepted alternative qualifications may vary depending on the course you're applying to and the entry requirements for alternative qualifications can be quite specific. For example, you may need to take certain modules and achieve a specified grade in those modules.

Please contact us to discuss the transferability of your qualification, and see our entry requirements page for more information.

RQF BTEC Nationals

RQF Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma grades DMM
RQF Level 3 BTEC National Diploma grades DM plus C
RQF Level 3 BTEC National Extended Certificate M plus BC

Access to HE Diploma

Access to HE Diploma 15 Level 3 credits at Distinction, 18 Level 3 credits at Merit and 12 Level 3 credits at Pass

Mature students

At the ��ԭ��, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.

Tuition fees

This is our Foundation Arts tuition fee for the academic year 26/27. It may increase for the academic year 27/28 and we will update our information once we have received confirmation of the fee.

This is the fee you pay for the Foundation year. When you progress to your undergraduate degree you will pay the fee advertised for that course.

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

Essential course materials are supplied.

Books

You'll be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to buy your own copies of core texts. A limited number of modules have compulsory texts which you are required to buy. We recommend that you budget £100 per year for books, but this figure will vary according to which modules you take.

Volunteering and placements

For volunteering and placements, for example, work experience and teaching in schools, you will need to pay for transport and refreshments.

Optional field trips

Field trips allow you to engage with source materials on a personal level and to develop different perspectives. They are optional and costs to you vary according to the trip; some require you to arrange your own travel, refreshments and entry fees, while some are some are wholly subsidised.

Scholarships and bursaries

The ��ԭ�� offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our .

Home students

Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary. Full details can be found on our .

A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.

Faculty of Arts Alumni Scholarships

Our Alumni Scholarships provide support with essential living costs to eligible students. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

Progression to undergraduate degree

On successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress directly to your undergraduate degree, chosen from a wide range provided entirely within the Faculty of Arts; this excludes a small number of joint honours courses where the academic partner is in another faculty.

You do not have to decide your undergraduate degree yet; your foundation year tutors will guide you through your choices at the appropriate time.

��ԭ�� abroad

When you progress to your undergraduate degree, you can apply to study abroad at one of our partner institutions or at ��ԭ�� China or ��ԭ�� Malaysia.

If you are successful in applying to study abroad, you will get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance your CV by experiencing another culture. Teaching is typically in English, but there may be opportunities to study in another language if you are sufficiently fluent.

You can choose to study similar modules to your counterparts in the UK or expand your knowledge by taking other options.

Please note

In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.

Placements and internships

You can choose to add an optional placement year to your three year undergraduate degree.

For some of our progression degrees you could gain professional experience in film, television and other creative industries, create a network of contacts and boost your employability through our Creative Student Network internship scheme.

The Foundation Year is based within the Faculty of Arts that offers numerous placement and internship opportunities.

Please note

In order to undertake an optional placement year, you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet any requirements specified by the placement host. There is no guarantee that you will be able to undertake an optional placement as part of your course.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.

Nottingham is a fantastic place to be a History of Art student because there is a really lively local art scene. I've been able to work and volunteer for a few galleries, gaining valuable insight into possible career options."

Chloe Austin

History of Art BA

Careers overview

Evidence shows that students commencing their university study at foundation level achieve the same levels of undergraduate degree as their fellow direct-route students, which in turn leads to the same wide range of career options.

In addition to your study we recommend that you participate in at least some of our CV-enhancing programmes which include:

You will also be able to take advantage of the wide range of services offered by our dedicated Faculty of Arts careers team within the Careers and Employability Service.

More information about subject-related careers opportunities from our Careers and Employability Service.

Support every step of the way

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service will work with you to boost your employability even further – helping with job and course applications, finding relevant work experience and hosting events that connect you with a wide range of potential employers.

The ��ԭ�� is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers.

We’re also the top UK university for the number of graduates entering highly skilled jobs (HESA Graduate Outcomes survey data 2021–2025 for full-time, UK, UG and PG graduates).

Careers and Employability

Placements, internships and volunteering

Our dedicated Faculty of Arts Placements Team assists with your employability skills development throughout your time at Nottingham. You can choose from a wide range of placements, internships and volunteering opportunities.

Gain real-world experience with optional Faculty of Arts work placement module and additional CV-boosting skills by getting involved by participating in student union and other extracurricular activities. Paid and volunteer roles are posted throughout the year.

Welcome to your campus

At University Park, nature, architecture and student life come together on one unforgettable campus. Explore beautiful green spaces, unwind by the lake and enjoy a vibrant sense of community. It’s the perfect setting for an extraordinary university experience where you can learn, grow and thrive.

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Art History and Visual Culture with Foundation Year - U6UAHAVCF

Course overview

Why choose this course?

Teaching and learning

Modules

Core modules

Important Thinkers Through History

Critical Thinking and Reflective Learning

Language and Culture

Media, Communication and Society

Narrative and Creativity

The Project

Entry requirements

£5,760 per year

4 years full-time

Careers

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